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HEBREW COLLEGE BOOSTS When it comes to "isomersion" in Hebrew language, the United States Air Force gives Hebrew College top rank. Isomersion is the term coined by Russian and East European Partnerships, Inc. (REEP) to describe the "isolated immersion" language experiences it provides for the Air Force's Foreign Area Officer program. Committed to ensuring that a select number of its officers are highly trained in various languages, the Air Force sends hundreds of officers each year to domestic and overseas programs to hone their foreign language skills.
"I'm really happy with the quality of instruction and the people I'm dealing with at Hebrew College," Scott says. "Attending the College is comparable to sending the officers overseas." The five officers arrived on campus June 14 and quickly began their four to five hours a day of Hebrew language instruction and four additional hours a week of Ulpan. The three men and two women, ranging in ages from 21 to 30, were already well-versed in Hebrew. They came here to refine their language proficiency—a marketable skill in the Air Force. "At the Air Force Academy, everyone takes a language exam," says David Amar, 25, who enlisted in the Academy directly after college. "Those who test highly are given more job opportunities with greater earning potential, plus the opportunity to further enhance their language skills." With pilots comprising only 3 percent of the Air Force, the remaining 97 percent support Air Force operations worldwide in a variety of career specialties. The five officers studying at Hebrew College this summer have career aspirations spanning the fields of intelligence, linguistics, engineering and security. Ross Kurtz, 30, says he hopes to "someday work with the Israeli military." While spending a year on a kibbutz after college, he learned to speak Hebrew, but "the reading and writing I had never done before and need to improve most." A law school graduate, Kurtz protects the Travis Air Force Base as a Security Forces officer and wants to remain in the Security Forces until returning to Israel. Kelly Borukhovich, 21, plans to become an intelligence officer. She attended a yeshiva in Manhattan while growing up and designed her education and career around her ability and interest in languages. Though she claims to have lost 80 percent of her Hebrew over the years, she tested at level nine in Hebrew skill, which means she can read Israeli newspapers, speak freely and read contemporary works of Israeli fiction in their original Hebrew. In addition, she learned Spanish and Italian in school and picked up some Russian and Romanian at home. An important part of Kelly and the other officers' education this summer occurred in host families' homes. Boarding with four Hebrew-speaking families, the officers benefited from informal Hebrew conversation and sharing cultural experiences such as keeping kosher and attending Shabbat dinners. Susan Megerman, executive assistant to President Gordis, hosted Borukhovich and Jane Psiaki, 22, at her home in Newton. Through their time together and nightly meals, when they spoke in Hebrew, Megerman says of the two women, "They really impressed me with their independence, resourcefulness and adaptability." "It's nice to have the company of friends, and I love getting to know people who come from different walks of life," she adds. For the students, the benefits were mutual. According to Amar, many people enlist in the Air Force to immerse themselves in new experiences. Education and career advancement are especially big draws, since the Air Force pays for courses leading to degrees, even if unrelated to the Air Force. Nathanson says he was excited that Hebrew College could aid in the officers' education. He was especially impressed by the Air Force's extensive search for an isomersion location. "Later I found out that [Scott] really did his homework in terms of what we offer here. It made me feel good, and proud," he says. Likewise, Scott says the College did a great job for REEP and the Air Force: "We'd like to keep sending officers there." |
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Conducting an online search for Hebrew language isomersion locations this past spring, Michael Scott, REEP's Language Immersion Program manager, found Hebrew College. "We wanted an intense, concentrated language acquisition program with a host-family connection," he says. When he contacted Shai Nathanson, director of the College's